A Pilot's Bonds
by Lunatic Waffle
Summary: After a crash into an unknown planet, Militia Pilot Rapture is thrust into the world of Remnant. The bond between Pilot and Titan will be tested. Will our extraterrestrial 'hero' forge new bonds with the young Huntsmen and Huntresses around, or will the Creatures of Grimm destroy them all?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Lost and Found**

"Ouch..." A voice, just barely human, rose from the wreck of the otherworldly dropship that had impacted the planet's surface a few seconds earlier. A Pilot, barely five and a half feet in height, was crawling out of the smouldering wreckage A few metres away, the Vanguard-class Titan the alien warrior had brought was on one knee with a fist in the ground. Two Titan batteries were lying nearby, knocked free from the crash. The Pilot pulled themself toward it, blurry vision just masking the chassis number: CN-8367. Affectionately nicknamed Connor by his Pilot, the Militia Pilot known only as Rapture.

"Connor? Buddy, you still with me?" The same voice was directed to the robot.

"Power insufficient. Install additional batteries." The Titan replied.

"Shit." Rapture cursed under their breath, before using the robot's large arm to pull themselves into a standing position with a hiss of pain. As this happened, the Pilot's helmet came tumbling off their shoulders and Rapture saw her reflection in her Titan's appendage. It had been a while since she had let her long white hair loose, or seen those gleaming silver eyes. Of course, she wore contact lenses that disguised them as blue when an occasion required her face to show. Thankfully, the Militia never required such a thing, so her peers never saw her. Add that fact to her voice changer, and she was an enigma to her fellow soldiers.

Occasionally yelping in pain, Rapture slowly gathered and inserted the two remaining batteries before putting the helmet back on while Connor powered back up. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Pilot, my analysis indicates you have broken several bones. Recommend you embark until we find adequate medical care."

She gladly obliged, jumping into the cockpit. "Aah!" She called out in pain before the cockpit shut. "Connor, just go on autopilot. I can't navigate in this condition."

"Acknowledged." The Titan began to move toward an intercepted transmission. Each thundering footstep shook the ground nearby. Soon, he reached a cliff face. In response, Connor attached his XO-16 to his back and began to climb. At the top, they were met with the surprising sight of a silver-haired man holding a cane. He looked a little surprised, likely keeping the extent of it concealed.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected." The man said. The cockpit opened, and Rapture took a few steps before collapsing. She barely managed to force herself to her feet.

"Me and you both, sir. This was not how this was supposed to go." Rapture forced out, swaying gently from side to side.

"Wait... I recognise that armour." The man was a little more surprised.

"Wait, what?"

"Someone like you came here before, years ago. Quite an unforgettable pair, they were." The man shifted a little.

"Pair? Were they both Pilots?" Rapture had a funny feeling in her gut.

"No. One was a Pilot, as you put it, and the other was a woman. Black hair. Had a fondness for cloaks. And eyes of the most shining silver I've seen in my days."

Rapture visibly took a step back, nearly falling. "Pilot? Your heart rate spiked. Are you in distress?" Connor chimed in.

"Mum? My mother came here?" She asked, voice slightly hushed.

"Your... mother?" The man with the cane was both shocked and intrigued. "If what you say is true, take your helmet off. I need to see for myself."

Rapture was incapable, so Connor gently slipped it off and her long white hair spilled over her shoulders. The man studied her face for a moment before nodding sadly. "It would appear that you are her daughter. Barring the hair colour, you look nearly identical."

"Really? Where is she?"

"I'm afraid we don't know. We lost contact with her years ago, on mission. She likely perished in the line of duty." The silver-haired figure hung his head.

"Of course. Why did I expect different?" Rapture asked as tears began sliding down her cheeks. Connor lifted her into the cockpit and closed the hatch before she broke down in front of a complete stranger, possibly alien. "What is your name?" The robot asked the other man.

"I am Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. And you are?"

"I am Vanguard-class Titan CN-8367, known as Connor. Inside is my Pilot, Brigadier General Rapture. Her real name is classified."

"I see. Well, when she is ready to talk, I shall be here. There are some things that must be discussed." Ozpin took a few steps back, pulling out a strange device and tapping its holographic screen.

Roughly ten minutes later, the cockpit opened again and Rapture stumbled out. "Ah, you're back. How do you feel?" Ozpin asked.

"That's not important. Where am I?" She asked.

"You are on Beacon Cliff, on the edge of the Emerald Forest at the outskirts of Vale. This planet is called Remnant."

"Remnant... Connor, where is this planet?" She asked her robotic partner.

"Accessing databases..." He was silent for a few seconds, but his answer rang out clearly. "Unknown."

"Unknown? What do you mean?" Rapture questioned.

"This planet is not listed on any Militia or IMC database, as per the latest update. Additionally, information gathered from intercepted communications indicate that this planet's civilisation is not spacefaring, or has any technologies beyond Earth's before the IMC's expansion. It is also fragmented into four main governments, with what appears to be either a military base or fifth populace situated in a remote island in the southeast."

"I see. This is certainly... an interesting world. What happened to the other person, the Pilot who was with my mother?" She addressed Ozpin.

"He sacrificed himself defending a village from attack." The man said with a solemn tone.

"Oh. Well, he died a noble death. Was he buried?"

"No. We couldn't recover his body."

"Well, what about this Beacon Academy? I can tell that this isn't a normal academy." She folded her arms across her chest.

"You're right in saying that. This is not a normal school. To put it simply, we train young warriors to combat the greatest threat to our world. The Creatures of Grimm." Ozpin explained.

"They're going to have to be one hell of a threat to humanity if you're telling the truth." She muttered.

"What was that?" Ozpin queried.

"Just saying that these Grimm are going to have a hard time surpassing what humanity can do to itself. I speak from experience." Rapture responded.

"How so?"

"Well, you see, to make it short, a mega-corporation began annexing entire planets for resources. More than disgruntled settlers formed an army named the Militia, then it grew to oppose the IMC. Some called them heroes, some criminals. Hell, some even called us space pirates. Only thing that matters is that we had the resources and manpower to fight the IMC."

"Ah. Should I assume that this planet is at risk of being attacked by this IMC?" Ozpin was slightly concerned.

"Honestly, no. I don't think the IMC can reach this place. I'll need to have Connor take a look at some other things to be sure, though."

"That is certainly a relief. In the meantime, I think you've more than earned a place here based on past deeds. Term starts in a few weeks, if you wish to attend. A Bullhead will be waiting at the landing pads to take you to the city."

"Thank you, Professor. But what should I do with Connor?" Rapture asked.

"Do not worry. There is a large, unused storehouse on Beacon's grounds. You can leave him there, he should be safe and hidden."

"Your assistance is much appreciated, sir." Connor said, standing up and looking around. "Storehouse located. Ozpin, please escort Rapture to the nearest hospital and have her treated for several broken bones." He walked toward the aforementioned storehouse.

"Of course, how could I forget? Do you need help getting there?" Ozpin asked the Pilot.

"I trust that if I collapse, you'll help me up." Rapture replied.

"Alright. This year is shaping up to be quite the journey." The Headmaster said as he began to walk with Rapture to the Bullhead.

 _ **Ayy, it's ya boi... Skinny Peni- okay that's enough of THAT. Anyways, I'm back at it again with some more crossover fanfic. Unfortunately, I had to put my RWBY x Destiny fic on hiatus until such time as my passion for that rekindles. For now, I'll see how far this one takes me. I also would like your opinions on different things throughout this fic, so stay tuned in future chapters for these questions.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Little Red**

Rapture couldn't believe this man's stupidity. She had been discharged from hospital a few days ago, so now she was walking to a Dust store open at the time as Connor had recommended. Now she found herself in a back alley painted with pale moonlight, in full combat gear, with a gun to the back of her head. The voice had been decidedly male and demanded that she hand over her valuables. Her helmet registered two more thugs somewhere behind her, so she had to be smart about this. One bullet, one stab could mean her death.

"Did you hear me?" The thug repeated. "I said, hand over your-" He was interrupted by Rapture's exoskeleton-enhanced foot slamming into his gut. Not enough force to outright kill the man, but enough to ensure that he wouldn't be getting back up. Almost instantly, she activated her cloak and jumped to the wall, flaring the jumpkit on her back to gain height and latch on. Two shots impacted where she once was, confirming her suspicion that all three had guns. In the space of a few seconds, Rapture silently manoeuvred behind the two and slammed their heads together. Seems they weren't very bright, staying together like that. Needless to say, they both dropped like bricks.

The smashing of glass caused Rapture to whip around. She was met with the sight of an unconscious thug on the street, smashed glass, and a young girl clad in red and black. This was certainly intriguing, to say the least. She watched as a massive mechanical scythe unfolded in her hands, and the engineer in her practically screamed. She decided to hang back as the other girl engaged more hostiles.

Soon enough, the one who appeared to be the leader came forth. Nice suit, complete with a hat and cane. Rapture pulled out her Smart Pistol Mk6 and creeped up behind him. "Don't move." She hissed, pressing the barrel to the man's head.

"There's always a second." He muttered, raising the cane off of the ground slightly. A cap on the bottom flipped aside and she dove away just as some form of explosive projectile came out of the cane gun. She avoided the worst of it, but a shard of concrete embedded itself in a gap between armour plates and caused her to hiss with pain.

Her new opponent looked no worse for wear, though, dusting the suit off after standing. The small girl in red aimed the scythe at him, cocking back a bolt on the shaft.

 _Is everything a gun here?_ Rapture thought, looking on as she, too, stood. The criminal backed up, aiming the cane at the other girl. "Well, little red, it's been fun. But isn't it past your bedtime? I'll let you sleep." He said before firing and turning to run. The one clad in red wasn't able to get out of the way in time, and so she took a direct hit. Rapture sprinted over, instantly concerned. "Can you hear me?" She asked before the dust settled and the other girl was left relatively unscathed. Rapture breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine. What about you?" The other asked, leaving Rapture to wince with pain as she felt the pain again.

"I'll live. We need to catch that guy." Rapture looked to the rooftops, where the criminal was currently attempting escape.

"But how? We can't get up there fast enough." The red-clad female asked.

"I can. Find another way up, I'll delay him until then." Rapture took a few steps back to get a good run up to the adjacent building.

"How are you-" The other girl stopped talking when Rapture activated her stims, utilising her Pilot training and parkour prowess to ascend the building quickly. The red-clad scythe-wielder was in awe at the sheer speed and height Rapture could reach in such a short time. Then again, her own Semblance was faster.

"Stop or I'll blow you to kingdom come!" Rapture called when she reached the top, a few metres behind him.

The cane-toting criminal sighed. "You just don't quit, do you?" He said, twirling the cane. The low rumble of a jet engine could be heard in the distance.

"Get on your knees, hands behind your head. I'm taking you in." She ordered, pulling out her R-201 rife and pointing it at him.

"You're police? Wow, my informants neglected to mention that." The man turned.

"Military. Do as I say or I'll put a bullet in your head before you can come out with a witty retort." Rapture was both lying and being truthful. She wasn't affiliated with any military on Remnant, but the Militia counted.

"Sorry, but I don't take orders from the army." He raised the cane to her, but before he could fire another gunshot rang out. This time, it was the recently-nicknamed Little Red using the recoil of her scythe-rifle to propel herself onto the roof.

"Brilliant. They're both here. Two birds with one stone." The man said before a VTOL aircraft rose from beneath the edge of the roof and the roar of its engines caused the younger girl's hair to whip backward, as well as her cape. The man embarked before pulling out a red crystal. "End of the line, rats!" He said in a loud and threatening tone before tossing it. It began to glow as soon as it made contact with the roof, a sign which Rapture knew instinctively. "It's gonna blow!" She called, pushing the red girl back. As she raised her arms, the crystal about to detonate, another woman dropped in front of her and raised a riding crop. The crystal blew up moments later, Rapture reflexively turning her head away and squeezing her eyes shut in preparation for the end.

When she realised that she was still alive, Rapture slowly opened her eyes to be met with the sight of a shimmering purple symbol hanging in the air, a few inches in front of the riding crop. As intrigued as she was, Rapture didn't have the chance to further study it as the blonde woman dispelled it. She took initiative and ran to the other edge of the roof, where she had pushed the scythe-toting girl to protect her. "Are you hurt?" Rapture questioned.

"I'm fine. What's your name?" The red-clad combatant questioned out of the blue. Rapture wasn't expecting it, and so nearly gave her true name. She just managed to catch herself before she spoke.

"Rapture. Well, it's not my real name, but it's what others call me." She responded, resisting the urge to remove her helmet.

"Well, Rapture, I'm Ruby. Can we be friends? You're really cool!" She offered her hand for a shake, which Rapture did. Her grip was a little tighter than a normal human's, owing that to the exoskeleton that Pilots used to enhance their strength. When their hands parted, Rapture turned back to the VTOL ship with rifle in hand. "Cover your ears." She said shortly before unleashing burst of fire at the cockpit glass. Upon seeing that her ballistic assault did little more than leave marks, she lowered the rifle and sighed. "Bulletproof."

The new arrival began an assault, to which both Rapture and Ruby began firing at the ship. After a pilot switch on the part of the criminals, a clearly female combatant began a counterattack. The three women's assault didn't let up, however, and after a blast of concrete shard from the older woman the craft turned tail and left. Said older woman then turned to Ruby and Rapture, clearly displeased.

After Ruby practically begged for an autograph, the two younger girls found themselves in a holding cell in the local police station. They had confiscated Rapture's rifle until she was released, but the Smart Pistol and data knife went unnoticed. She was now sitting two feet from Ruby on a cold bench, awaiting questioning. During that time, Rapture decided to make conversation. "So... how did you find yourself fighting criminals with a mechanical scythe which also happens to be a rifle?"

"They tried to mug me while robbing a Dust shop. What about you?" Ruby was happy to answer.

"Three of them tried to mug me in an alley not too far from there. Then, you kicked that guy out the window and, well, you know the rest. Why do you even have that thing anyway?"

"That's my baby, Crescent Rose! I'm going to go to Beacon as soon as I'm old enough, which shouldn't be too long. I'm training at Signal, to become a Huntress."

"Huh. I'm going there too. Hopefully I'll see you there when you're old enough." Rapture didn't notice the trickle of blood dripping from her arm to the bench, where a shard of concrete pierced her suit and skin during the fight.

"Yeah, in about- you're bleeding!" Ruby was instantly concerned for her new friend.

"It's nothing. I've been through worse." She covered the wound, preventing the blood from dripping.

After a few minutes, Ruby and Rapture were escorted to the interrogation room. They stopped at a medical room halfway so a doctor could extract the shard in Rapture's arm, disinfect and dress the wound. When they finally entered the interrogation room, the blonde-haired woman from the rooftop was wearing a stern expression, sitting across from the two younger girls. As soon as the door shut, she gestured to two seats in front of her. "Sit. We have a lot to discuss."

They did so, and as soon as they did, she began reprimanding them. "Do you have any idea how many people could have been seriously hurt, Miss Rose? That weapon of yours is not only dangerous to your opponents, it's dangerous to you too. Imagine the consequences if one of those men didn't have Aura. And you." She turned to Rapture, who sat up straight. "Yes, ma'am?" She addressed her formally.

"You could very well have killed those three men tonight." She said.

"So I didn't." Rapture responded. She purposefully didn't use her full strength.

"Even if you didn't, your victims sustained severe injuries. They'll be in the hospital for weeks, if not months. Granted, they'll be in prison after being convicted for armed robbery for much longer, but that's beside the point."

"I recognise that those thugs have been severely injured. However, I would like to point out that they had intent to kill me."

"How do you know that?" Their 'interrogator' questioned.

"Because one of them had a loaded gun against my head, and the other two aimed for my head when they fired after I neutralized the first."

"I suppose, but that in no way excuses-"

"Glynda, please." The voice of Ozpin rang out through the room. The man himself came into view, holding a plate of cookies along with a coffee mug emblazoned with the crest of Vale. "Rapture has had much experience with this kind of thing. Likely more than you have, I daresay."

"What does experience have to do with this? This Rapture character was arrested with identification from an organization nobody has ever seen or heard of, coupled with the fact that their armour and weapon are advanced beyond anything even Atlas has produced! I'd say we have plenty reason to suspect here."

"Glynda, you have trusted my judgement for years now. My judgement is that Rapture is trustworthy." He set the plate of cookies down on the table before looking closely at Ruby. Something had caught his eye. "You... have silver eyes." He looked at the masked face of Rapture, slowly piecing something together in his head. "A rare trait nowadays. Rapture, you are free to leave. I trust you'll be coming to the Academy tomorrow?"

"Indeed." Rapture stood, pushing her chair in after stepping aside.

"Your rifle is in Confiscated Goods, first right after leaving here." Glynda stated. Rapture nodded in acknowledgement. "I assume I'll see you tomorrow?" The young Pilot asked, receiving a nod in return.

She then exited the room, picking up her rifle on the way. The fresh-faced recruit manning the Confiscated Goods area complimented her on her choice of gun, saying that it had a smooth magazine release and good calibre. She thanked him, promising to talk more if ever she ended up there again.

Rapture then exited the police station, sighing heavily. It was stifling in there, but cool outside. Her wound stung a little, but she had experienced much greater pain. It didn't bother her. She was actually excited to go to Beacon, to meet new warriors and to give this new life of hers some meaning.

 _ **Well, this chapter came rather quick, but in my defence I had A LOT of free time. Plus I actually like writing this for you peoples. Hopefully you don't find my writing too mediocre, and I guess I'll see you all in the next chapter!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Okay, I normally put these at the end of chapters, but I'll make an exception this time around because I can. Anyway, THANK YOU FOR 300 VIEWS! To me, this is an absolutely massive milestone. Also, I won't deal with team assignment just yet. If all you lovely people wish to voice your opinions on whether our MC should be a free agent or on a team (and, if so, which one), romantic relationships with one of the cast or anything at all about the story, don't be afraid to leave a review. I'll make it my life's goal to listen to each and every one of you if that's what it takes to listen to everyone. Anyway, without further ado, onto the chapter!**_

 _ **Oh, and thank you to a kind presence on this site called (can't put the actual name since this site, lmao. Healthcare dot gov, but a URL kind of thing. There.), whom has left a review before this chapter was even finished.**_

 _ **And please note, there may be some upsetting content near the end. So, if you're uncomfortable with that kind of thing, don't read past the ballroom scene. You have been warned.**_

 **Chapter Three: Early Riser?**

Rapture attracted some... odd looks from her new peers as she leaned against the wall of the airship currently in flight toward the prestigious Beacon Academy. Her armour's otherworldly design attracted mixed awe, curiosity and jealousy from the other budding students. She caught a glimpse of Ruby, the girl she had shared a holding cell with last night. Those silver eyes seemed to shine with the light. Truly, they were a rare trait. What were the odds of both of them having them?

It looked like she was accompanied by a tall blonde girl. They looked somewhat alike, leading the more observant to assume some form of familial connection. Ruby caught sight of Rapture, and dragged here presumed-sister over to see her. "Yang, this is Rapture. Rapture, this is my sister, Yang." She introduced happily.

"Hello there, Yang. I shared a prison cell with your sister last night following an attempted Dust robbery. Don't worry, we were bystanders that tried to stop it. God knows if I tried to rob it nobody would know I did." She half bragged. Indeed, it was the truth. She extended a hand for the slightly surprised blonde to shake. The other girl had a tight grip, but Rapture's Pilot strength and exoskeleton had her beat by a large margin.

"You've got a really firm grip, I'll give you that." Yang smiled. "If we spar, don't hold back. I want to see how strong the rest of you is."

"Will do, blondie." Rapture responded. The two sisters, after a brief farewell, turned and went to meet others. Rapture tuned out of the world, running over an idea she had for new equipment. She was pretty sure the materials existed on this planet.

After an indeterminate period of time, Ruby's tapping of her shoulder called the Pilot back to reality. "Rapture, it's time to go! You there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right." She was a little startled, but joined the flow of students both old and new heading off. Ruby and Yang were further back in the flow, so they didn't see her peel off from the pack and head to the warehouse she had stowed Connor. The Titan gave no greeting as she entered, quickly shutting the door behind her.

Inside was a workshop of sorts. Through a few decommissioned Atlesian combat robots, Ozpin's assistance in procuring materials and Connor transferring his AI to each one under Rapture's instruction, they had already started work on a prototype Ronin sword that Rapture had drawn up prior to the crash, as well as a Predator Cannon for future use. The sword was under construction currently, though progress was slow. The Cannon was yet to be started. When she closed the door, all three robots, as well as Connor himself, looked up and waved. "Welcome back, Pilot. I see you are well."

"Indeed I am, buddy. How's the sword coming along?" She questioned, taking her helmet off.

"It is approximately twenty percent complete. I estimate it will be complete within a month at the current pace. Then I will start work on the Predator Cannon." The smaller robots got back to work.

"Excellent. I'm going to work on that custom Longbow. Got a spare Smart Pistol?" She questioned, to which the Titan opened the cockpit. "Compartment five, Pilot." He responded. Rapture retrieved the pistol and quickly disassembled it. She hunted down the targeting module, which was her project. Before she seemingly vanished, she was working on implementing the Smart Pistol's targeting system into a Longbow DMR, eventually spanning into all weapons. It was a long-running project of hers, but there were certain issues in the scaling process. Maybe this world had the answer?

She worked on it for hours on end, but to no avail. There were all kinds of issues with the targeting, from random misfiring to off-target lock-on. Eventually, a message from Ozpin arrived telling her to report to the ballroom for the first night. She pulled her helmet back on, waved a quick goodbye to the robots and exited the building to find the ballroom. It took a few minutes, but she got there. Thanks to her cloak module, she got in unnoticed and took position against a wall. She ensured to dim her helmet lights before the cloak deactivated, so she blended in fairly well.

Hours passed without any interaction between Rapture and the new students, but after a rather long interval, Ruby noticed the Pilot and approached. She jumped when the young girl tapped her shoulder.

"Rapture? The lights are going out, you should get to bed." She said. Rapture looked at her for a moment before responding. "Yeah. Sure. I sleep standing up, though. I know it sounds weird, but past events have just made it second nature."

Ruby looked at her with the slightest hints of suspicion in her gleaming silver orbs. "Okay. See you tomorrow!" She said cheerfully before walking off back to her sister and a black-haired girl who seemed to wear a bow at all times, if wearing it to bed was any indication. Of course, Rapture didn't sleep for fear of waking everyone up with her screaming. She had terrible nightmares, just another sign of her severe PTSD.

Early in the morning, around five o'clock, Ruby Rose was up and about. She had been too excited to sleep for long, and so went to the bathroom to... take care of her bodily functions. When she entered, however, she most certainly did not expect to see Rapture. She had assumed that the mysterious combatant was either male or a robot, so this was certainly a surprise. The Pilot seemed to be washing her hands.

"Do you normally wake up this early?" She asked the other girl. Rapture visibly jumped, turning quickly with both hands behind her back. "Y-yeah." She was never good at lying when taken off-guard.

"Really? Huh." Ruby seemed to buy it, but then she looked into the sink and saw one colour that definitely didn't belong. Red. "What's that?" She asked.

"N-nothing!" The Pilot continued to lie, but to no effect. Ruby seemed to think of something for a second, before her eyes widened a little. "What... were you doing?" The younger girl questioned again.

Rapture looked at the door, ensuring nobody else was around before sighing. There was no use lying to the girl, she would always just question it. Slowly, she brought her left forearm around, palm facing upward. Ruby gasped at what she saw.

On the Pilot's left forearm, first and foremost, was a multitude of scars in all directions. But what made Ruby shocked was the four bleeding cuts that looked fresh. "Did you..." Ruby trailed off.

"Yeah." The Pilot sounded ashamed, bringing her right arm around to reveal a bloodied combat knife. She had expected the silver-eyed girl to chew her out or leave, but this time it was her turn to be surprised. She dashed forward in a formation of rose petals, reappearing directly in front of Rapture and embracing her. "Don't hurt yourself. Please. There are people that can help you!" The girl said.

"There isn't anyone that can help me with this, Ruby. I appreciate it, though." She softly replied. She couldn't deny that the sensation of the younger girl's embrace was strangely familiar, though she couldn't place it.

"Then I'll help you." Ruby shot back.

The older girl chuckled a little. "You just won't quit, will you? Fine, then. You can try." She said before Ruby released her grip and smiled. "Get yourself cleaned up. I don't think you want anyone else seeing this."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Rapture took some toilet paper and wiped the blood away from her arm and flushed the paper. She then applied bandages from a small medical kit on her back before rinsing the blood from the sink. She put her glove back on and unrolled her sleeve to completely cover the bandages. This was going to be an important day, and she didn't need anyone else getting worried about her.

 _ **Well, I hope everyone who's not exactly comfortable with self-harm heeded my warning at the start. If not, I apologise for any discomfort. But I did that because our protagonist isn't just a killer. She's a real person, with real problems. Anyway, see you all next chapter! And don't forget to leave a review if you have anything to say!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Silver King**

As the new first years lined up on plates positioned along Beacon Cliff, Rapture in particular was paying nearly no attention. She took notice of Ruby occasionally shooting a concerned glance her way, a prim and proper girl wielding a rapier acting haughty and a particularly nervous blonde wannabe knight.

When the first students began to be flung off the cliff by their plates and into the forest below, she couldn't help but smile. This was going to be fun, but it was a shame Ozpin had disallowed the use of her Titan. It took roughly half a minute for Rapture to be launched.

She immediately felt the thrill of soaring through the air unprotected by a Titan, a feeling she relished and scarcely experienced. It was like she fell for an eternity, but once she broke the treeline she sprung into action. Activating her stims, Rapture leapt from tree trunk to tree trunk in a series of incredibly short wall runs. It was like second nature to her, though she didn't want to remember why.

It was mere minutes until she reached the ruins she heard Ozpin mention in passing. She hit the dirt slightly hard, tucking into a roll to spread the force of impact across her body. When the Pilot stood again, she was met with the sight of chess pieces. Black, white, pawns, knights- they were all here. But one in particular caught her eye.

She felt like the silver king piece was calling to her. At the same time, there was a slight burning sensation in her eyes that just couldn't be described otherwise. She approached it, mainly because it was a different colour from the rest. However, as she picked it up, a cold female voice echoed through her mind.

" _The nightmare child returns..."_

Rapture immediately dropped the piece and took a few steps backward, hyperventilating. That voice... she had heard it before. But where? The voice sent a chill down her spine, along with making her heart race.

She wanted to run, but something made her pick up the piece again. Perhaps curiosity? Or, maybe, something about the silver object really did call out to the Pilot. Almost immediately, the voice returned.

" _Don't you remember? That night in Firebase Theta?"_ The voice in her head seemed to chuckle. _"Maybe you don't want to..."_

"Shut up." Rapture said to herself as images began to trickle through her head. Images of something she wished she could just bury under the sands of time.

" _It's no use, darling. I'm part of you, and you can't forget it. Although, that massacre was all-"_

"SHUT UP!" She nearly screamed as she attempted to throw the chess piece away. She couldn't even open her hand.

" _Like I said, it's pointless. You can't accept who- no, WHAT you are. Allow me to help you, my dear Luna."_

Luna was left wondering how this thing knew her name for only a brief moment before horrid memories began flooding her head, overloading her. She would have screamed, but she couldn't. Eventually, the flood stopped and she fell to her knees, drained.

" _You see? You are too weak to carry the weight of your sins, child. Let go..."_

She really did scream this time, but for a different reason. A searing pain came from the hand that held the chess piece, and from her eyes. The pain spread to her arm, to her chest and eventually her head. The pain was immense, too much for her to bear. After less than a minute of the piece's assault on her mind, she collapsed into the cool embrace of unconsciousness. Without the pain, Luna could note the other sensation. It was like something was trying to force its way into her head.

It was unclear how long she was out, but when she came to she was in a hospital bed. Her helmet had been removed, though the splitting headache she was experiencing prevented her from caring. The silver king piece was still clutched tightly in her left hand. She would have thrown it away, but she could barely even move her fingers. After what she presumed to be a minute or so, an unexpected wave of fatigue hit her and she fell unconscious again.

When she came to again, the world felt... different. The headache was gone, she could move her left hand and she felt exceedingly light. Her senses didn't work just yet, but that was something she had grown to accept as part of the consequences for her rash actions. As she managed to open her eyes, the world had a violet tinge to it for a few seconds before it gradually faded to its normal colours. However, as it did, a headache became apparent. It wasn't as bad as before, but it was certainly annoying.

As her other senses began to return, she noticed slight breathing from her right side. Luna weakly turned her head and was met with her new Headmaster sitting on a seat at the edge of the room.

"Ozpin?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Ah, you're awake. We were worried we may have lost you." The silver-haired man replied.

"Wait, we?" She was puzzled, wanting to sit up but being unable to.

"Miss Rose and Miss Schnee were the ones who brought you back after you collapsed in the ruins. They are currently getting settled into their dormitory." He stated.

"Got it." She managed to force herself into a sitting position with a gasp of pain.

"We still don't exactly know why you collapsed, so take it easy." He warned.

"It was something to do with that silver chess piece. After I picked it up, I heard a voice in my head." She admitted.

"A... voice?" Ozpin was admittedly a tad concerned.

"Yeah. It was a woman's voice. Cold. She... it had access to my memories. It kept trying to break me with memories, then... She knew my name." Luna finished.

"Your name? I can't imagine many know that." His concern was growing.

"Yeah. I thought there was nobody alive that knew, but it seems I was wrong."

"Interesting. Well, I am afraid I must leave to attend to other matters." Ozpin stood. "Oh, and on the matter of teams. None of the faculty placed that silver king piece, so you are now a free agent. You may lend support to other teams as you please, but be warned: if you remain solo, there will be nobody to save you. I wish you all the best in your recovery, Miss Rapture. Farewell."

And with that, Ozpin left Luna to think on the fact that the piece had not been placed by the faculty. What could it mean?


	5. Chapter 5

**Before this chapter begins, I would like to offer my deepest gratitude for over a thousand views. And a special thanks to the two people who left reviews since Chapter 4 was uploaded. You guys are awesome.**

 **Chapter Five: Family**

After a week of being in the school's infirmary, Luna was finally allowed to leave. During her time in a hospital bed, she had been visited by the two girls who pulled her from the forest (of course, she wore her helmet for this) along with their teammates. They talked for a bit, and got along fairly well. The blonde one was almost obnoxiously outgoing, with a seemingly endless repertoire of bad puns. The black-haired girl with a suspicious-looking bow on her head was quiet, reserved; she reminded Luna of herself at times. Meanwhile, the white-garbed female struck her as a bit of a bitch, in all honesty. She was stuck-up, whiny and arrogant, but there was a certain charm to her. Ruby, Luna realised, sort of resembled the Pilot in ways other than eye colour. Her personality was similar to her hyperactive mother, which rubbed Luna as odd.

As she meandered through the corridors of Beacon, purposefully avoiding her first class of Grimm Studies (the four girls had warned her about Professor Port's inability to provide even a vaguely meaningful lesson), she began to think on things. She autopiloted to the dormitory she had been assigned, with modifications fulfilled by the Headmaster and Beacon's scarily efficient janitorial and construction staff. However, something unexpected lay on the solitary bed. A long black case, with a note on top. Being careful to lock the door behind her, Luna rushed toward the bed and read the note, then several times over again so she could be sure it wasn't a hallucination.

 _Luna,_

 _Consider this four years worth of missed birthdays. If you're curious about the design, you always did take after your aunt._

 _Love,_

 _Mum_

 _P.S- You should talk to your sister when the hidden features become apparent. She'll have a field day._

The words of the note swirled around her head. She had an aunt? And a sister? She read it over once more, this was definitely her mother's handwriting. Then she opened the case, and was truly at a loss for words.

Sitting on a bed of fabric, a katana with a near-crystalline blade seemed to stare back at her for a second. It seemed ornate, yet not so. The handguard was a dull silver, with the handle being wrapped in delicate-looking black fabric. The sheath was below, equally mystifying. She slammed the case shut and rushed out with the note, going to consult the only person who could comprehend this. Professor Ozpin.

She was effectively on autopilot the whole journey, skidding through corridors and eventually reaching the elevator. The short wait for the elevator to rise was agonizing and when it was done she practically burst through.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Ozpin questioned.

"Please, sir, it's urgent!" She responded.

"Urgent, you say?"

Luna quickly approached the desk and handed him the folded note. He opened it and began to read while taking a sip from his mug- and nearly choked on the liquid. "Where did you find this?" he questioned, his voice now carrying an urgent tone.

"I-it was on my bed, along with a package..." Luna was a little startled at this.

"Fetch it, please, as quick as you can." Ozpin requested, to which the Pilot nodded and ran to the elevator. Once out of the elevator, Luna used her Stims to run at top speed to her dormitory, where she grabbed the case and sprinted back. Upon re-entering Ozpin's office, she quickly strode over to the desk and set it down. Ozpin spun it around and opened it, studying the contents as if appraising it while Luna waited with bated breath.

"There's no doubt about it." He said finally. "That is her handiwork. Miss Rapture- no, Luna, your mother is alive."

"W-what?" Luna couldn't believe it.

"She's alive. I can only assume that we were... misinformed." He repeated.

She felt like jumping for joy, but managed to contain herself.

"Now, there are two other people I must inform of this. You may stay if you wish." The Headmaster continued. Luna stepped aside and began to think on this.

Before she knew it, Ozpin was presumably breaking the news to these two people. It took a second for Luna to recognise them, but she was surprised again when it clicked in her head that it was Ruby and her sister, whose name Luna recalled as Yang. The younger looked on the verge of breaking down in tears of absolute happiness, while the elder was questioning Ozpin quite rationally. If she held any emotion at the moment, it was well concealed.

"With all due respect, Professor, how do you know?" The blonde questioned.

"Because of her." Ozpin gestured to Luna, who was again caught off guard. The two girls turned to the Pilot.

"Her? But how..." Yang was confused at what this could mean.

Before Ruby could pose her question, Ozpin spoke again. "She received a letter enclosed with a package. It was from her mother."

The gears in all three girls' brains turned at breakneck speeds. Yang was the first to connect the dots, and clapped her hands over her mouth. Ruby gasped, indicating she understood. Luna was completely caught off-guard, and stood stock-still for a second before reaching up and removing her helmet with trembling hands. It fell to the floor soon afterwards.

It was clear now that her hair had been dyed, but not fully. Most was white, but she had left the tips and some locks their natural violet. Her silver eyes twinkled in the light of the office.

"Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long... I would like you to meet your sister, Luna." Ozpin announced to the three girls.

"U-um... hello..." Luna greeted her newfound flesh and blood timidly, as if they were a bomb about to go off. Yang was left stupefied, while Ruby disappeared in a puff of rose petals and reappeared directly in front of the Pilot, pulling her into a bone-crushing embrace.

"Oh my gosh I knew we were close but not like this! This is so awesome and amazing and I can't believe it!" The red-clad girl blabbered on and on in a single breath as a slight smile formed on Luna's face.

"This is... certainly unexpected, to say the least." Luna mainly addressed the professor with these words. His answer was slightly delayed.

"Indeed... indeed..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Semblance? Maybe Not...**

The aftermath of what was revealed in Ozpin's office was certainly... interesting. Her newfound sisters were certainly amusing, to say the least. Ruby was a hyperactive ball of innocence and sugar addiction, while Yang was quite fond of her hair and was also quite the hothead.

On a sunny Friday, Luna was attending combat class as usual when something... strange happened. Her Aura had been forcibly unlocked a few days ago by Professor Goodwitch, so she was attending extra Aura classes so she could effectively use it. The dials on the large screen were spinning to determine who would be taking part in the last sparring match of the day. The first dial stopped on a graphic of the four women of Team RWBY's faces. The assembled students whispered a little; it looked like this would be a team fight. The the second dial stopped on a single image, one of Luna's helmet.

Professor Goodwitch shook her head and went to tap her Scroll again, presumably to reset the dials, when the Pilot spoke up.

"Professor," She began. "Why can't I fight them?"

"Rapture, this would be 1 person against a full team, one of this year's most promising... and you can't control your Aura." The blonde woman replied.

"Did Professor Ozpin inform you of my circumstances?"

"Yes, but I hardly see how-" Glynda was interrupted by Luna.

"I can handle them." She gave her teacher a meaningful look, which was of course lost in the helmet she wore. Glynda thought it over for a few seconds, before sighing.

"Team RWBY and Rapture, please go to the changing rooms and prepare for your sparring match. You have five minutes."

The five women in question rose and walked off to collect their gear and (in Team RWBY's case) change into their combat gear. Luna had obtained special permission from the Headmaster to keep her Pilot gear on at all times.

Soon after, the team of four were staring down the lone soldier and vice versa. She had her katana on her back, but her hands were hovering over her belt.

"Ready..." Goodwitch began. Every muscle in Luna's body tensed a little as she prepared for combat once more. A buzzer sounded and she immediately flared her jumpkit, jumping into the air. Out of her belt came two Firestars, which were thrown at the opposition before the Smart Pistol and combat knife came out. Before any of the four could react, bullets began to fly as the one regarded as one of the best Pilots the Frontier had ever seen went to work.

The team scattered to avoid her bullets, those with guns beginning to fire back. None of the bullets hit as she used her Phase Shift to vanish from existence. They looked around, confused, before Blake narrowly dodged an exoskeleton-enhanced punch that came from nowhere. This proved to be a mistake as her hand met the back of the Faunus girl's head and, after sweeping her legs from the front, sent her crashing to the stage. A retaliatory punch from Yang hit her Aura, surprising her.

She activated her Stim and jumped forward, dodging a shot from her youngest sister and retaliating with bullets of her own which took the youngster's Aura down a bit. She then felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as Weiss thrust her rapier at her, not knowing what could happen.

Immediately, the whole crowd gasped as the blade went through. Luna grunted. "What's wrong, princess? Don't have the guts to finish me?" She taunted as Weiss' grip on Myrtenaster loosened as her face filled with horror. As a foreign rage seized the Pilot's body, her hand thrust out and grabbed the heiress' throat, lifting her like a toy. She seemed to take pleasure in hurling the girl across the stage like a ragdoll as her eyes began to burn. Wrenching the Dust rapier out of her shoulder, she turned to the three remaining enemies.

Her hand found the handle of the blade her mother had made for her as she stared down Blake, whose Aura was lowest out of the trio. Drawing the crystalline katana, she pointed it at the Faunus girl. "Show me what you've got. All three of you." The monstrous rage inside of her seemed to calm as the girls charged.

She used her blade to parry a strike from Ruby before her right foot swung at Blake, who left a shadow clone to take the hit. The foot swung right through, catching Yang's arm mid-punch. Next, a distinctly bloodied rapier thrust past Luna's head. Her hand went back and gripped the Schnee girl's arm before heaving her over her shoulder and slamming her onto the ground. A light blue shimmer indicated the exoskeleton-enhanced throw shattered her Aura.

"Weiss Schnee has been eliminated from the match." Professor Goodwitch announced.

Yang was next, throwing out another devastating punch. It was easily dodged by the now-Stimmed Pilot and she threw her own in response, which met its mark and activated the blonde's Semblance. After ducking another punch, Luna had to jump backwards in order to avoid being cleaved in two by Crescent Rose. Afterwards, she threw another Firestar at the red-clad girl before slashing at Yang. The slashed began to quickly deplete her Aura, but she managed to catch the Pilot with a punch not supplemented by Ember Celica. As she was knocked back, she knew that something was definitely broken in her right arm and, with a further grunt of pain, she sheathed the blade.

A swift and vicious kick to the gut left Blake's Aura shattered as she attempted to strike from behind. "Blake Belladonna has been eliminated from the match." The Professor announced again. "Just two left now." The Pilot said, more to herself.

Yang was next to be eliminated, recklessly charging at Luna with an explosive discharge and propelling herself off of the stage and being suspended in the air by Glynda. "Yang Xiao Long has been eliminated from the match."

Now it was just Ruby. Rapture turned, staring down the girl who had already activated her Semblance. As the red blur approached, Luna prepared for the blow... but it never came.

Ruby was suspended in mid-air, halfway through swinging Crescent Rose. In fact, everyone was frozen, except Luna. Her limbs felt like lead as she activated her Stims once more and charged. As her left fist made contact with the young girl's gut, the world resumed and she was sent halfway across the stage in an arc. Her Aura broke upon contact with the ground.

"Ruby Rose has been eliminated from the match. Rapture is the victor." Goodwitch sounded surprised, putting her Scroll away as the audience applauded. "You'd best get to the infirmary, Rapture.

She nodded, holding a hand over her bleeding wound as she wondered. What happened in that last instant?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Olive Branch**

 **I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for over 2,500 views. I will continue to try my best.**

Repairing the wound in Luna's shoulder was a trivial task. The lack of knowledge about what had happened during her sparring match? That was near impossible to mend, or at least it was at the moment. She had taken to wandering the corridors of Beacon Academy in her free moments. This had given a sizeable repertoire of hiding spots to go to when the flashbacks hit. One moment she would be treading the carpeted halls of the dormitory, the next she would be assaulted by an amalgamation of all her time in the Militia. Then she would find herself hidden away in a disused dorm, or behind a pipe in the floor's utility closet.

The cobbled stone of Beacon's pathways suddenly gave way to dirt and grass. Without even thinking, she had been walking to the warehouse in which her faithful Titan companion, Connor, was situated. After a moment of hesitation, she held her forearm up to the small door that humans were meant to go through. She had stationed a robot by the door that scanned anyone on the other side. If they didn't have the proper credentials on their Scroll (or equivalent), the door could not be opened. However, if they did, the door functioned as normal. The Pilot turned the handle and pushed the metal door opened. She was bowed inside by the scanning robot, which Luna had programmed to act like a doorman. She smiled as she looked at the odd robot, which she had dressed in a tuxedo, complete with monocle. It was one of her more amusing projects, of which she was very happy of the result.

As the door swung shut and locked, she looked up at the Titan. "How's the sword coming along?" She asked.

"It is going well. I estimate it will be complete in three weeks." The robot replied.

"And what of that... other project?" She questioned further, removing her helmet and shaking out her mane of purple-white hair.

"This planet's global database was easy to compromise. We now have access to all of this civilisation's knowledge."

"Excellent. Anything interesting?" Luna walked over to a workbench which held the sword gifted by her mother.

"The Atlesian Military is working on a manned mechanical combat unit named the Paladin. It is remarkably similar in function to an Atlas-class Titan, though with lower operational time and more focus on armaments."

"Can we make our own...?" Hope was in her voice.

"Certainly. What edits would you like to make?"

"Hmm..." Luna thought for a moment. "Extend the operational time as long as reasonably possible. Give it more functions besides armaments. Oh, and be sure to add in the Atlas' weak point."

"Done. Why do you wish to install that weakness?"

"So I know how to take them down, C. What's the harm in it?"

The Titan didn't say anything in response, nodding its... head? If that is what the section which held the SERE kit could be called. Luna looked over the sword for a bit before she was summoned to Ozpin's office.

Upon arrival, she was greeted with one other person, dressed in what Luna assumed to be military dress uniform. She rolled her eyes, thankful for the mask.

"Rapture, please take a seat. This is General Ironwood, leader of Atlas' military and Huntsman Academy." Ozpin announced. The man extended a hand, but Luna didn't shake it. "Forgive me if I seem distrustful of you. I spent the last few years walking a razor's edge between survival and being murdered by a militaristic corporation."

The General nodded. "Well, that's... certainly interesting. Now, I am here because-"

"Ozpin told you a weird soldier fell from the sky with a ship that can teleport and a giant robot built to kill. That right?" Luna cut across him.

He nodded.

"So, what is it you want? To recruit me? Leech advanced technology from me? Kill me so I don't threaten your would? Let me tell you, none of that's going to work. This planet's database security is abysmal, Connor broke it in seconds. Alas, I come bearing an olive branch. You know that Paladin design, General? Yeah... I kinda made it better. Observe." She tapped the screen on her arm before using Ozpin's table to project the schematic. It looked remarkably similar to the Tone Titan, with a few key differences. First, the outcrop on the back of the cockpit section which doubled as communications and the weakpoint that the Pilot conveniently neglected to tell Ironwood. Most of Tone's systems and abilities were added, as well as two miniaturized Predator Cannons with reduced functionality mounted to the wrists. Lastly, this new design used the old Sid AI.

"Any questions, General?"

"This is..." He wondered out loud. "Incredible... This will be an incredible asset in our war on the creatures of Grimm."

"Is that all, Professor?" Luna questioned.

"For now. You may go." Ozpin answered, to which the girl turned and left the office.

She inexplicably found herself hidden behind a warm pipe again after being assaulted by flashbacks of one of her most critical failures, midway through the hall to her dorm. After extricating herself, she thought it a good idea to try to go to bed. However, this obviously bore no fruit. Accepting that it would be another sleepless night, she decided to head down to Team RWBY's dorm to see if any of her sisters were awake. She needed someone to talk to.

After a light knock on the door, she stood back and was greeted with the scarred face of none other than Weiss Schnee. "Why are you here?" She hissed quietly, indicating the others were asleep.

"Why are you awake? Tell me and I'll tell you." Luna offered, to which the Ice Queen sighed. "I can't sleep. You?"

"People often don't think about the aftereffects of what a soldier goes through on the battlefield. I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep."

Weiss hesitated before speaking. "You and I... we might be alike in more ways than you think. I have an assignment to finish. Goodnight." After that she shut the door. The exchange wasn't quite cold, but not overflowing with friendship. Luna walked back to her dorm, thinking about this. Before she knew it, she hand flopped onto her bed and fallen asleep, but this never turned out well...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Nightmare**

The acrid scent of gun smoke pervaded Luna's nostrils as she looked around frantically, trying to get a hint of where she was. The constant clatter of countless firearms discharging surrounded her, like some sort of twisted orchestra providing a score to her trauma. The din was so much that the only distinct weapon she could identify by its sound was that of her Titan partner's Predator Cannon tearing through squads of hostiles.

There was one more, though. The pattering of footsteps behind her caused the Pilot to whip around just in time to evade the exoskeleton-enhanced right hook of a hostile Pilot. Another punch sent her stumbling back to dodge the sudden rush, followed by her legs being swept from under her. The adrenaline shooting through her bloodstream fuelled her arms coming up and preventing the knife from penetrating her chest. They struggled for a few seconds before Connor's massive hand plucked the enemy from on top of his Pilot and tossed him into the chaos of the battle raging in front of them. Looking at the scene, Luna realised where she was and what she must do.

With a thought, Luna opened her Titan's hatch and leapt inside. She shuddered for a second as the neural link took hold and suddenly she was the Titan. Up came the Cannon as she assumed manual control of the robot's combat systems ans the chamber spun up before unleashing a hailstorm of bullets into an enemy Tone rounding a building. The armour stood up to the surprise attack for a few seconds before bullets tore through the hatch and rendered the Pilot inside deceased. With its human occupant dead, the neural link was severed and the Tone switched to auto-pilot. It managed to get one single shot off, which missed, before more bullets pierced the armoured hull and shredded its internals. First went the optics, rendering the opponent blind. Next, the Core ability's physical link to the controls were severed. The rocket pods came up, but no salvo was fired. It was only a matter of seconds before the robot collapsed, inoperable.

Luna next turned the harsh judgement of the Predator Cannon on the infantry below. Humans and robots alike were torn apart by the cruel, unforgiving spray of death and destruction. The robot took pause for a moment to load fresh ammunition before the three words Luna most wanted to hear were played through the cockpit.

"Smart Core online."

With another thought, Luna activated the Core and started firing. The now-homing bullets carved a path for her to advance along with a few other comrades. Thundering footsteps filled the air as the forty-ton war machines advanced on the IMC facility they had set out to capture.

More ammunition was fed into the implement of death the robot carried as they advanced. Eventually, she had to leave her cockpit and venture into the facility in order to reach the control room. The robot stood sentinel over her entrance as she proceeded into the facility, gunning down the occasional grunt. It seemed that most of the facility's security had been deployed to meet the assault that her regiment was currently mounting.

The path to the control room was relatively easy to follow, with light resistance. She only encountered one enemy Pilot, who received a kick to the chest that killed him. Upon entering the control room, she immediately knew something was off. The main console was much too small and there were no additional workstations. Looking around brought a startling revelation- the door she came through had disappeared. Turning her back again made the room become a dark, padded cell.

Shaking slightly now, Luna walked to the furthest-away corner before surveying the room and being startled again when her helmet's scan revealed that someone appeared to be hanging from a chandelier in the centre of the room. A straight-backed chair had been presumably kicked away beneath the figure's feet. As she made her slow approach, the chandelier began providing light and she stopped dead. The body's distinctively purple hair was horrifyingly familiar. "What the fuck..." The words just slipped out of her mouth as she stared at her own corpse, made so by her own hand.

A chill swept over her living body as she looked. There was no way this could be real. She took a step back, before turning around and falling over. Somehow, a woman of pure white had made her way into the room and stood directly behind her. Luna blinked and she was gone, a towering Alpha Beowolf in her place. Upon more than the usual glance that observers managed before their demise, it was not a Beowolf. It was larger, more... muscular? Its stance was more akin to a true wolf, as a second after appearing it rested its weight on all four limbs. The creature seemed to exude an aura of bloodlust unlike anything the Pilot had ever witnessed. Its rasping snarls filled the room as it approached. Luna backed away, still on the floor.

" **Mmm... what a delicious soul we have here... shame I can't eat it..."**

She was completely lost for words. This thing, against all logic and sense, had spoke.

" **Yes... a shame... eating it would be a setback..."**

She reached for her Smart Pistol, a knife, anything she could use to attack this creature with. Her hand found a sidearm and she quickly emptied the magazine into the beast. Each bullet left a hole that closed up after a few seconds.

" **No point, girl... no point... I am immortal... such a shame my vessel is not..."**

 _Click. Click._ The gun was empty now. She tossed it at the creature as her back hit the wall. It seemed to stop for a moment before it was suddenly in her face. Luna didn't even notice that she was screaming. The Grimm raised a claw that was shrouded in a black mist and swung for her head.

Luna sat bolt upright in her bed, her breathing fast and shallow. She had broken out in a cold sweat during... whatever the hell that was. She fell backwards onto the bed again, trying to make sense of that. It started out as her usual, trauma-induced nightmare, but the end was something new. She felt... something when she thought of the beast. Fear? Anger? Admiration? Kinship? It was impossible to pin down.

Luna didn't feel like getting up today. Too bad her sisters would be hauling her out of the bed a few hours later, because there were things that had to be done and Ozpin had requested another meeting.


End file.
